Crashing Down
by Awesome Laugh Trio
Summary: "Everything was playing out as usual, so far." High School AU. Partial gen!flip. USUK.
1. Leaving

"Morning, Artie!" Ally exclaimed, running up and swinging her arms around Arthur's neck. His muscles stiffened; he pushed her off of him after a moment of hesitation, as usual.

"Good morning to you too, Ally," he nodded, a slight smile playing across his lips. He brushed his perfectly-neat clothing as if something had happened to them that could have possibly messed them up.

"Oh, come on, old man," Ally rolled her eyes, talking his hand. "Nothing could happen to your clothes even if you waltzed through one of those wind tunnels that you see at the mall. Remember when we tried that? I thought it was super fun!"

"I know you did, Al," Arthur replied. He wouldn't bother reminding her that being just a year and three months, consequently being one grade level ahead of her, didn't make him an old man, because if he did it would just be lost on her, as usual.

The two met up with their rag-tag group of friends inside the crowded hallway. They mingled, chatting and giggling (albeit awkwardly in Ludwig's case) before the bell rang and they had to head off their separate directions to homeroom.

Ally glanced in either direction before planting a quick kiss against Arthur's lips. He reciprocated it gladly, fireworks pounding against the inside of his head and craving more time (though outwardly, of course, he'd never admit it). She gave him a coy smile and then walked away, leaving him to try to scrub the blush off his face with his palm. Everything was playing out as usual, so far.

Lunch time couldn't seem to roll around fast enough for Ally. Most of her morning classes were boring- trigonometry (triangles and ratios, _whee_), English (grammar, _blech_, who used that anymore anyway?)- except for her AP US History, but even that was painful today. There was no reason, as far as she could tell, besides the subject matter- no, wait, it was because she kept squirming impatiently and waiting for a time when she could see Arthur.

She'd seen him go into the office on one of her many "bathroom" breaks. She was a good student, yes, but she had the attention span of a two-year-old.

_Why'd Artie have to go in there?_ She wondered as she began doodling on the top of her notes. _He's a good kid now. He hasn't gotten in trouble in a long time. _He must've just been having problems again- why couldn't he just come talk to her, like he normally did? Oh well. If he wanted to be the damsel-in-distress, then he could, by all means. She liked being the hero. Heroine. Whatever.

After way too freaking long, the teacher released the class and Ally was the first one out the door. She grabbed her Captain America lunch box ("It's vintage, and who doesn't love him?" she had cooed, before promptly whacking Francis over the head with it when he tried to grope her, proving its usefulness) and began looking for Arthur.

"Hi there," she smiled at him, leaning against one side of his locker. He jumped a little, and she laughed.

"I was expecting that bloody frog, not you," he defended. "Before you can embarrass either one of us any further, let's go." Ally began to head toward the lunch room, but Arthur stopped her. "I was thinking somewhere a little more ...private today, if you don't mind."

"Of course not," Ally replied because, hey, if it was more private there'd be a drastically higher chance of him actually doing something. Like a kiss. That'd be nice, she always liked kisses from him.

* * *

><p>He lead them to a secluded bench in the back garden. "You remember this place?" he asked, and Ally nodded. This was the spot where she had told him, for the eighth time, that she wanted to be more than just friends, and he'd finally gotten over himself and said 'yes' to her date offer.<p>

Small sprigs of lavender sat around the bench, and a strand of ivy curled delicately around the back. Ally jumped across the stone pathway, sitting down and motioning for him to join her. He sat down gingerly, as if he was trying not to disturb the bubble of romantic ambiance that surrounded them.

"It's so beautiful out today," Ally mentioned, the cool breeze running through her hair.

"Yes, it is," Arthur nodded in return. He had to bite his tongue to keep from adding 'but not half as beautiful as you'.

"Hey, Artie," Ally said suddenly after a few seconds of comfortable silence, swallowing the last bite of her inhaled sandwich. "What's bugging you today?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Arthur responded. There was no turning back now, and he hoped that he bloody well wasn't going to make too big of a fool out of himself.

"Alright, I'm all ears," Ally informed him, cupping her hands behind her yellow star barrettes with a cheeky grin.

"Listen, Al...I just...listen," he sighed, not being able to look into her blue eyes for fear of giving up. "Listen, I just need to talk to you about something...it's important."

Ally nodded again. "I'm still listening, Artie. You can tell me anything, remember?" She couldn't help but wonder what was tripping her boyfriend up so badly today. It was out of character for him, and it was starting to seriously freak her out. Was he going back to drinking and cigarettes, like he'd been hooked on completely when she first met him at the age of fifteen?

"I don't know the right way to say this, Ally," he said quietly, emerald green eyes looking down at his scuffed shoes. "But...maybe we should take a little break. See other people, experience the world..."

"Are you...you're-" Ally started, her voice breaking just slightly on the last word. She hoped he didn't notice, but at the same time she hoped he sort of did, just so that he could understand what the hell he was doing.

Arthur nodded, finally looking up and meeting her baby blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Al..."

That very moment was when Ally felt her carefully-constructed house-of-cards life crash down around her.

"It's okay," she muttered feebly. It was her turn to look away now.

"Thank you for understanding...I just need a little time, that's all. To sort things through and grow some more," he stood up. What on earth was he talking about? She didn't understand, not one bit. Things were going fine this morning! Maybe there was another girl- maybe he was secretly gay- maybe he never loved her in the first place and only put up with her for a year because of their history. Some gentleman he was.

"Do you still want to be friends?" he asked, timidly holding out a hand.

"No," she replied bluntly, biting her bottom lip. "Getting dumped and then staying friends is like having your dog die and then keeping it."

Arthur nodded after a second of thought. "Goodbye, Al," he gave a small wave, and then started walking away.

"You can't call me that any more," she whispered, but he was too far away to hear. She peered into her lunchbox, and then closed it with a look of utter disgust. With her stomach hovering down around her ankles, nothing seemed too appetizing anymore.

* * *

><p>As he walked away, Arthur couldn't help but wonder what the bloody hell he'd managed to do. He still loved her, yes, but he just...couldn't keep doing what they were. He would rather have her know it in person than have her learn through a friend. It broke his heart, though, to see her with tears on the brink of her eyes, obviously crushed. In that way, he'd rather not know.<p>

Arthur now considered himself the biggest royal git in the world.

* * *

><p>Ally Jones was never one to skip class. For most girls, after getting dumped like that (no, she was the hero, and heroes didn't get dumped) would cause them to just leave for the rest of the day to go and cry and sulk. Ally, however, was different- she knew she had to push through, so after lunch she went to her science class.<p>

She sunk quietly into her desk, and a melancholy air seemed to fill the room. Science was one of Arthur's favorite subjects, and although Ally didn't mind it, she was terrible in it, so she frequently got him to tutor her.

Arthur Kirkland...his name used to send her mind into a frenzy, heart pounding and a giddy smile on her face. Now all it did was make her want to cry, and then curl up in a ball and never see the daylight again. Heroes didn't cry or mope or be depressed, though, so she wouldn't.

When the teacher walked into the room, though, she couldn't help but turn from her chair and run to the bathroom. If heroes cried, no one ever saw them.

She was curled up in a ball in the corner of the girl's bathroom, almost underneath the sink, when she heard the door open. She tried to immediately hush her wails, hugging her knees tight up against her mouth and closing her eyes. That didn't work terribly well, though, because whenever she closed her eyes she saw _him_.

"Ally?" a familiar voice, no more than a whisper, called out. "Is that you?"

Ally cracked her eyes open. "Mattie?" Yep, it was Mattie, her softspoken twin sister. Her violet eyes, hidden underneath glasses, were shining in a combination of concern and plain-out fear. This was the best person that Ally could have by her side at the moment, she decided, grabbing her shoulders and hugging her as tight as she could, crying into her shoulder.

"What happened?" Mattie asked, rubbing her back in circles like their mother had done so many times for herself.

"Arthur," she choked out. Mattie froze for a second, not expecting the words that would come next. "He broke up with me, Mattie! Heroes don't get dumped!"

"He-" Mattie paused. What in the name...? She had no clue what to do, so she just sat there with Ally, rubbing her back and comforting her to the best of her ability. "You want to go home, Al?"

Ally looked up at her, eyes blurry and makeup smeared all over her face and Mattie's shoulder. "No...not really. And...and please don't call me Al right now."

Mattie nodded, respecting her sister's decision. "You know what, Ally?"

"What's that, Mattie?" Ally sniffed.

"If he was dumb enough to break up with you over something that he won't even tell you the reason for, then don't you think you deserve someone better, eh?"

"No...he just needed 'time to think'..."

"And in boy, that means 'I don't have a reason or I just don't want to tell you'," Mattie corrected. Though she hated Ally so upset, she knew of a certain boy who would be castrated in the near future. "You deserve much better than that ignorant Brit, and there is better out there. Trust me, Ally. It might not even be a guy- that's how it was in my case."

"But I'm not gay, Mattie! I don't care that you are, but all I want is him," Ally whimpered.

"Let's just go home," Mattie decided, standing up with Ally and walking out to the hall, Ally still clinging to the top of her school uniform.

"Would you care to explain to me what's going on that requires me to be out of class right now?" Ludwig asked, and Ally turned her head. Ludwig and Gillian were walking down the hall in the other direction, and Gillian spotted them at the same time.

"Oi, Birdie!" she smiled, coming over to give Mattie a hug (completely ignoring Ludwig), before noticing Ally. "What happened? Trip down the stairs or something?"

"Not now, Gil," Ally muttered, burying her face in Mattie's shoulder.

"Do you know what happened?" she asked Mattie, who sighed.

"Is it okay if I tell her, Ally?" Mattie asked her sister, and after giving no response she looked up at Gill. She couldn't exactly deny her girlfriend information...but she wasn't sure how Ally would feel about it. "Well, we're headed home because of it."

"Birdie, even if it's embarrassing to the n-th degree, I think you can tell me, because of the fact that I'm your girlfriend," and at the mention of the word 'girlfriend' Ally broke down in tears again. This just seriously wasn't her day, was it? "Arthur?"

"Heroes don't get broken up with," Ally protested softly. Silence rang through the hallway, Ludwig's jaw sufficiently dropped, before Gil stormed off.

"I'm going to go get Francis to give that dickface a piece of my mind," she exclaimed to herself. "What does he think he's doing? Last time I talked to him, which was, I don't know, this morning, he was fine with everything! ...Francis!"

Gil spied him through the classroom window, and after catching his eye contact, ducked so that no one else would see her. Not like they'd do anything, or even really care. It was just cool, it made her seem like a ninja or something.

"I need you to do something for me," she instructed as he closed the door. "Figure out what stick Eyebrows has up his ass today, and if you can, see if you can persuade him to get back together with Ally."

Francis paused, looking at her. "_Mon cher_ broke up with her?" Gil nodded in reply, hearing Ally's sniffs and sobs echoing through the halls. They'd started to calm down, which was a good sign, but they were still there. Even though she wasn't all that fond of her, too much like herself to really get along with, no one deserved to get messed up if they didn't deserve it- and last time Gil checked, she didn't. "This isn't good, no..."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"I have to go find him and talk some sense into him..." Francis said, ignoring Gil's comment. He had a look of utter shock on his face.

"Okay, seriously? What did I just go ask you to do? You're as oblivious as Antonio today," Gil replied, arms above her head at that point, while Ludwig caught up to his sister.

"Something's seriously wrong with Arthur," Ludwig mentioned.

Gil turned and faced her brother, hands on her hips and looking up at him with a ferocious glare. "You think?"

"Do you have any idea what it might be?" Ludwig asked, running a hand through his gelled hair, which in Gil's opinion totally defeated the purpose.

"No...but I have a feeling Francis does."

"Let's hope that feeling is correct."

* * *

><p>Francis searched the halls, making sure to avoid the windows to any major classrooms, and then he had sort of an 'eureka' moment. He snuck through a door and then up the flights of stairs, finally opening the last door and finding Arthur sitting on the roof. He quietly went and sat next to him.<p>

"Arthur?" he asked, lightly putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. He swatted it away, moving his arm back to where it had been crossed on top of his knees.

"Go away, frog," he muttered.

"What is wrong, _mon mignon_?" Francis asked, moving his hand back to himself. He was flirtatious, sure, but he knew when to back off, and now was one of those moments. When he could hear the tears lining his friend's voice, that was when it was time to back off.

"I thought I told you to go the hell away, frog," Arthur demanded in a shaking voice. He turned his face to Francis, who wasn't exactly shocked to see the bloodshot eyes and tear streaks down his round cheeks.

"Why did you do it?" Francis asked him after a second of silence between them.

Arthur leaned his head down to his hands. "I didn't want to...I still love her. I'm the biggest bloody idiot in the entire bloody universe."

"Then, why, _mon cher_?" Francis questioned, blue eyes soft.

"I know for a fact that long-distance relationships don't work, and my flight to England leaves at four in the morning."


	2. Ally

Maddie peeked at her wrist. "It's five minutes until school's over, Ally," she told her sister quietly. "I think it'd be best if we left soon before we get trampled. We both know that high schoolers show no mercy."

Ally sniffed. "Francis hasn't come back yet." It had been entirely too long since everyone had left, but yet, it seemed like no time had passed at all. Stupid heart, messing up the flow of time.

"I can send him a message when we get home," Maddie promised.

"You swear?"

"Yes, I swear."

"Pinkie promise?" Ally held up her pinkie, looking expectantly at Maddie.

She smiled gently, linking pinkies with her twin. "Pinkie promise. Now, come on, let's go." Slowly, Ally and Maddie stood up and made their way to their shared car. Ally never let go of Maddie's uniform, because if she were to let go, she would simply float away into the clouds and she wouldn't be able to come down.

* * *

><p>"Stupid goddamned Brit!" Ally screamed once her door was locked. She'd already deleted his contact information in her phone, along with every photo she had of him and every email he'd ever sent her. She yanked open her closet door, rifling through her clothes to get to her 'secret stockpile of love' that she had created back when she first realized her feelings. "Fucking limey!"<p>

She grabbed the basket, going through and ripping every piece of paper that had anything on it. After a little bit, she began calming down, breathing ragged and sight blurry. She picked up the shreds from her bed, unlocking the door and heading out to the front room.

"Are you alright?" Maddie asked, looking up from where she was sitting on the couch with her homework. "I heard you yelling..."

"Heroes have been known to throw hissy fits," Ally smiled, turning to the lit fire and throwing her freshly-made confetti into it. "Just go back and read the old comics. I'm sure you'll be able to find one or more."

"Those were from Arthur?" Maddie questioned gently, an eyebrow raised.

"Yep. He broke my heart and any chance at happiness, so I'm metaphorically burning him from the inside out," Ally informed her, retreating to the couch. She watched the flames jumping at the chance, the slivers becoming consumed, turning black and shriveling before turning to dust, flitting around the room and setting on the carpet. It almost reminded her of the fairies that Arthur had read to her about from his giant book of fairy tales, that he always took to heart whenever she insulted them, even if it was just teasing.

"You miss him a lot already, don't you?" Maddie sighed, looking at her sister's crestfallen expression.

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to go back to school tomorrow, Mads," Ally frowned. "I just...can't."

"Maybe it'd be best for you to take a day off," Maddie replied. Ally nodded. She hated having to miss school, but yet, she didn't think that she'd be able to handle one more day of that place. A three-day weekend was looking more and more appealing by the moment.

It was silent for a second, the only noise being the crackle and pop of the fireplace, before Maddie's phone vibrated and she jumped, pulling it out of her back pocket. "It's Francis," Maddie said. Ally wrinkled her nose. "He says...'apologies for making you two- that's us, Ally- wait for so long, and that...he'll pick us up at two thirty." She paused, rereading the text message until she got a second one. "AM."

"What do you think he'll want with us at almost three in the morning on a Thursday night?" Ally questioned. "You didn't tell him to do that, did you?"

Maddie shook her head. "Well...we're up then most of the time anyway...so, um, what's the worst that could happen?"

"He could drag us into a back alleyway and rape us," Ally replied.

"Oh, come on, Ally," Maddie rolled her eyes. "Yes, he's a flirt, but that doesn't mean he sleeps around, and he's not what you call a 'rapetruck'. He's a good guy, just...flirtatious."

"If you say so," Ally shrugged. "Does this mean we're going?"

"I don't see why not."

* * *

><p>By one, their mother had already gone to bed and it didn't take much to sneak out of their house a little while later, if you could even call it that. It was more of just like walking out the front door and closing it quietly behind them. Francis was waiting in his car on the edge of their driveway.<p>

"What's happening?" Maddie asked.

Francis took a deep breath, hands gripping a little bit tighter on the steering wheel.

"Franny...?" Ally questioned, her voice quivering just a little bit.

Without looking at them, he began talking. "I found Arthur on the roof of the school this afternoon...he was crying and clearly very upset, and he told me..."

"What'd he tell you?" Maddie prompted, seeing as Ally was simply shaking in the backseat once again.

"He's returning to England. That, _mes amies_, is why you are currently in my car at an absurd time in the early morning," Francis clarified.

"That British fuckface is going back to where he came from? Is it seriously just because he broke up with me?" Ally questioned, looking up and face turning a bit red.

"_Non_," Francis shook his head. Silence took over them, until the car screeched to a stop.

"The hell?" Francis demanded, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. "When is there ever traffic at 3 in the goddamned morning?"

"It looks like there was a nasty accident," Maddie pointed out. "Four car pile up. Interesting language, by the way- I think this is the first time I've heard you swear this heavily in English."

Ally groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Seriously? I didn't want to see him in the first place, and now fate is telling us that it wasn't a good idea."

"I don't think it quite works like that," Maddie sighed.

Eventually, though, they made their way to the airport. Much too slow for their own taste, but still they got there and wearily found the gate.

"It's four, isn't it?" Francis asked.

"Three fifty-seven," Maddie corrected him, flipping her phone shut.

"There he is," Ally whispered. A blonde ruffle of hair, stuck on top of a scrawny but well-dressed body, gave a young flight attendant his ticket.

Ally burned blue holes in the back of Arthur's head, and he glanced around, eyes meeting just briefly with Ally's. And, just for a moment, everything seemed alright again.

That moment, despite how badly she wanted to take it and stretch it and keep it with her forever, passed entirely too fast and then they were back in awkward-land. He must have just pretended that she wasn't there, or didn't care, or whatever, because he just kept walking. Ally bit her bottom lip, trying to keep the stupid thing from quivering.

Arthur was no longer in sight at this point- he had boarded the plane, which they watched soar away into the dim early morning sky.

"So, this is...goodbye?" Ally asked, staring at her hand which had found its way to Francis's and Maddie's, clinging to them for the comfort she was craving for and felt she so desperately needed.

"For now," Francis nodded. "I'm sorry that it had to be so soon and so...abrupt, _mon cher_."

"It's...it's fine," Ally muttered. "It's just a stupid goodbye, if you ask me."

"I know," Maddie whispered.

"We know," Francis corrected. They each slung an arm across her back, and they walked back out to the car. "Go get some sleep; you need it."

"I will," Ally promised, trying so hard not to cry but letting it out anyway.

* * *

><p>If one were to fast forward a year and a few months, you would find the large group at a graduation- the graduation of Ally, Maddie, Ludwig, Feliciana, Lovina, and Natalia (who wasn't so much of a friend but a creepy-as-hell little sister of one of Ally's ex-boyfriends). Ally always hated being younger than most of their friends, it left her mostly friendless for most of her senior year. Of course, it was nothing, she could make friends easily compared to most, but it was the effort and the having to retell your life story and starting over that always annoyed her about making new friends.<p>

The graduation song, played by the school band, was slow. Equally slow was the reading of the names, but eventually they got through all them. Ally and Maddie settled into their respective chairs, silk gowns creating barely enough friction to keep them in the same spot.

"I think I'm over him," Ally whispered to Maddie. She turned to her twin, violet eyes wide.

"You really think so, Al?" she replied in hushed tones.

"I really think so," she repeated.

"Are you sure? I mean, you've said that when you went out with Kiku a few months afterward, and then he broke up with you because, and I quote, 'she stirr has feerings for Arthur and I cannot become him'," Maddie mentioned, mimicking his poor English. Ally blushed.

"I know-" Ally started, and then Maddie cut her off.

"And then you said it again when you went out with Ivan, and then you broke up with him because he was 'too manly' and Arthur's, no offense to him at all, but he's not manly at all. Then, you went out with Ivan's ex Toris, which was kind of a bad move if you ask me, because he 'reminded you of Arthur', and then you just broke up with him two months ago," Maddie reminded.

Jeez, something was seriously up with her today- she had much more confidence or whatever. It was kind of annoying, how much she was acting like Ally. She liked it much better when people acted like themselves and didn't make bad decisions, like the one she was about to make.

Of course, heroes didn't make bad decisions, so this one was going to be just fine! She hoped it would be, anyway.

There was a pause on the stage as it was a 'people shuffle', and no one was up there. The audience was silent, and Ally decided to make her move. She darted through the chairs and up the stairs to the stage, a whisper rippling through the crowd.

"I'd just like to declare," Ally mentioned, stumbling over and grabbing the mic from the floor where it had been dropped from her hands with a resounding 'clunk', "that I, Allison Freedom Williams-Jones, am now officially over Arthur Kirkland! It sure as hell has taken me long enough."

"Is she drunk?" Maddie asked quietly, leaning over to Gil across the aisle, who shrugged.

Ally opened her mouth to continue, cap beginning to slide off her hair, when her eyes fell on a fateful set of eyebrows- ones that she could point out from ten miles away.

_...shit._

She set the mic down and walked off the stage, ignoring the churning in her stomach.

She was over him, wasn't she? She had just made a giant announcement to, like, _everyone_ that she was over him. So, that must have meant that she meant it.

...right?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading, favoriting, alerting, and reviewing! I'm putting a poll up on my profile that has to do with the continuation of this story, so if you're interested feel free to check it out.**


End file.
